Rear sight for guns.



No. 667,628.- Patented Feb. 5-, I901.

' T. c. JOHNSON.

REAR SIGHT FOR GUNS.

(A ucinion filed Aug. 2, 1900.;

(No Model.)

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NiTno STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE W'INCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REAR SIGHT FOR GUNS.

SPEGIFEGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,628, dated February 5, 1901.

Application filed August 2, 1900.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new 5 Improvement in Adjustable Rear Sights for Guns, (Case A;) and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the figures of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and to exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a broken view, in side elevation, of one form which my adjustable rear sight I5 may assume; Fig. 2, a corresponding view showing the horn of the sight proper in section and the elevator stopped at the limit of ilS rearward movement; Fig. 3, a detached plan view of the sight proper; Fig. 4, a corresponding View of the elevator; Fig. 5, a View corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing the I elevator provided with a different form of stop; Fig. 6, a detached plan view of the elevator shown by Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a detached plan view of still another form of elevator; Fig. 8, a detached broken view, in side elevation, of an elevator having a modified form of finger-piece.

My invention relates to an improvement in adjustable rear sights for guns, the object being to produce a simple, durable, and effective sight constructed with particular reference to convenience of operation by one hand and to the avoidance of the accidental loss of the member of the sight called the elevator.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a rear sight having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

In carrying out my invention, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawings, I employ an elevator formed at its rear end with a rearwardly extending finger-piece 2, the upper face of which is concaved and serrated, as at 3, for the reception of the thumb orfinger of the user. This finger-piece is extended rearwardly in a line with the longitudinal axis of the elevator and provides for readily moving the elevator longitudinally forward and back in a line parallel with the longitu- Serial No. 25.650. (lilo model.)

dinal axis of the gun-barrel 4. This fingerpiece may assume a variety of forms, its particular shape not being material, so long as it adapts the elevator to be readily pushed forward and pulled back under the control of the thumb or finger of the user and so long as it extends rearwardly in line with the lougitudinal axis of the elevator. Fig. 8 of the drawings shows an elevator having a roughened handle-like finger-piece 2. The forward portion of the elevator is formed with an inclined series of teeth 5, having their rear and forward edges beveled, so as to permit the elevator to be pushed back and forth under the retaining edge 6, formed in the upturned horn 7, located at the rear end of a spring-shank 8, without grasping the horn and lifting it against the tension of the springshank, so as to lift the said edge 6 away from the teeth, whereby only one hand is required for the adjustment of the sight. The said shank is provided at its forward end with a dovetail rib 9, by means of which the device is secured to the gun barrel 4. The said horn 7 and springshank 8 constitute what I shall hereinafter call the sight proper. I particularly wish to point out that the teeth 5 not only form an inclined series of teeth, but a series of teeth dilferentiated in depth as they are successively made shallower from the rear to the forward end of the series to equalize the tension placed upon the elevator by the spring-shank 8. Thus if the higher teeth of the elevator were equal in depth to the lower teeth thereof the tension placed upon the elevator by the spring-shank 8 would be too much to readily overcome with the thumb or finger of the user of the gun.

To prevent the elevator from being disengaged from the horn 7 of the sight proper by an undue rearward movement, I form the elevator at the upper corner of its extreme forward end with a stop 10, which is engaged with the forward face of the horn when the elevator reaches the limit of its rearward movement. However, the elevator may be entirely detached from the sight proper by seizing the horn 7 and lifting the sight proper until the retaining edge 6 of the horn 7 is car- I00 ried above the said stop 10 of the sight. In the normal use of the sight the movement of the elevator back and forth is confined to the space represented by the length of its series of teeth. The undue forward movement of the elevator is prevented by a toe 11, located at the lower corner of its extreme forward end and arranged to engage with the undercut wall 12, located at the forward end of the slot 13, formed in the shank 8 for the reception of the elevator.

In the modified construction shown by Figs. 5 and 6 the stop 10 is replaced by a screw 14:, the head of which overhangs the side walls of the elevator 15, as shown in Fig. 6, in such a way that even if the sight proper is lifted the elevator cannot be disengaged from it by pulling rearward, but only by moving the elevator forward through the horn of the sight.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. '7 the stop 10 is replaced by a pin 16, which corresponds in function to the screw 14.

In view of the modifications suggested and of others which may obviously be made I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware that it is old to provide the elevator of a rear sight for firearms with fingerpieces located to the rear of the sight proper to enable the elevator to be grasped for being moved back and forth while the sight proper is lifted by the fingers of the other hand. I do not, therefore, claim an elevator for a rear sight adapted to be grasped at a point to the rear of the sight proper for being operated back and forth under the sight. I am also aware that it is old to form the elevator of an adjustable rear sight with teeth having their rear and forward faces beveled and provide it at its forward end with a combined laterallyextending operating-arm and stop by which it is moved forward and back with respect to the horn of the sight. As distinguished from this construction my improvement is, on account of the rearward extension of the fingerpiece, in line with the longitudinal axis of the elevator, more conveniently operated, very much less liable to he accidentally moved by being caught by the garments of the user of the arm or by anything else, and is applicable without change of size or form to gun-barrels of differing construction and diameter. I do not, therefore, broadly claim an elevator having beveled teeth or an elevator operable by one hand.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an adjustable rear sight for a gun, the combination with a spring-shank adapted at its forward end to be attached to a gun-barrel, and provided at its rear end with an upturned horn having a retaining edge, of an elevator bearing upon the top of the gun-barrel, adapted to ride back and forth thereupon under the rear end of the said shank and under the said horn, having its upper edge formed with a series of teeth, the rear and forward faces of which are beveled to permit the elevator to be drawn rearward and pushed forward under the said edge against the tension of the said shank, constructed at its forward end to form a stop limiting its rearward movement, and provided at its rear end with a finger-piece projecting in line with it rearwardly beyond the said horn and adapted to be manually engaged for moving the elevator either forward or back, whereby the sight maybe adjusted by manipulating the elevator alone and without lifting the horn for releasing the elevator.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

D. H. VEADER, H. F. BEEBE. 

